Police are expecting around 100,000 people to attend Charlie Kirk’s memorial service at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025. The event is receiving Super Bowl-like security measures.

Sat, 20 Sep 2025 10:42:39 -0400

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An armed man who claimed to be connected to law enforcement was detained Friday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, the Secret Service told Fox News Digital.

The NFL stadium will host Charlie Kirk’s memorial service on Sunday, Sept. 21. 

"The U.S. Secret Service in coordination with local law enforcement in Glendale, Arizona, is investigating an individual who was observed exhibiting suspicious behavior at State Farm Stadium," Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi told Fox News Digital on Saturday.

"The individual was approached by Secret Service and stated during the encounter that he was a member of law enforcement and that he was armed. The individual is not a member of authorized law enforcement working the event and is currently in custody," Guglielmi added.

The individual, who has not been publicly identified, actually was armed, Guglielmi confirmed to Fox News Digital.

"The U.S. Secret Service and local law enforcement are investigating the circumstances as to why he was at the location," he also said.

"This guy is a former deputy sheriff out of Idaho. He came and identified himself with expired credentials. They are going through his background and trying to figure out what he was up to there," a federal source familiar with the investigation told Fox News.

President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance are among the speakers set to honor Kirk on Sunday at the event. 

Fox News' Matt Finn contributed to this report.

Sat, 20 Sep 2025 10:39:12 -0400

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Musical artists Lee Greenwood and Steve Amerson have been added to the list of performances expected Sunday at Charlie Kirk’s memorial service in Arizona. 

The full list of speakers at Charlie Kirk’s memorial are his widow Erika Kirk, President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Donald Trump Jr., Tucker Carlson, White House advisor Stephen Miller and Sergio Gor.  

Top Christian worship singers Chris Tomlin, Brandon Lake, Phil Wickham, Kari Jobe Carnes and Cody Carnes also are set to perform Sunday.  

Sat, 20 Sep 2025 10:35:48 -0400

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White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News on Saturday that former President Barack Obama has “no clue what he is talking about” regarding a claim he made in the wake of Jimmy Kimmel’s cancellation.

“After years of complaining about cancel culture, the current administration has taken it to a new and dangerous level by routinely threatening regulatory action against media companies unless they muzzle or fire reporters and commentators it doesn’t like,” Obama wrote on X on Thursday after Kimmel’s show was shelved by ABC. 

Kimmel's show was pulled over his comments about alleged Charlie Kirk assassin Tyler Robinson.

"With all due respect to former President Obama, he has no idea what he is talking about. The decision to fire Jimmy Kimmel and to cancel his show came from executives at ABC. That has now been reported,” Leavitt said. 

“And I can assure you it did not come from the White House and there was no pressure given from the president of the United States. How do I know that? Because I was with the president of the United States when this news broke in the United Kingdom. We were enjoying the beautiful and spectacular state visit that was put forth by the Royal Family and the prime minister of the U.K., Keir Starmer,” Leavitt continued.  

“And I actually brought this news to President Trump's attention, he had no idea this was happening. It was a decision that was made by ABC because Jimmy Kimmel chose to knowingly lie to his audience on his program about the death of a highly-respected man when our country is in a state of mourning. That was a decision that he made and he is now facing a consequence for that decision and for that lie,” Leavitt also said, noting, "Jimmy Kimmel's ratings are in the gutter and this was probably also a business decision on behalf of ABC." 

Fox News Digital's Stephanie Giang-Paunon contributed to this report.

Sat, 20 Sep 2025 09:55:22 -0400

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In the aftermath of conservative activist Charlie Kirk's assassination, a debate about political rhetoric and its impact on recent spates of political violence has taken hold on Capitol Hill and across the country. 

While both Republicans and Democrats have condemned political violence of all kinds, their views vary on how much inflammatory political rhetoric plays a role. Some Republicans have accused the left's rhetoric of fostering an "assassination culture" on the left, while Democrats have accused Republicans of attacks on free speech. 

One member of Congress, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., attempted to steer the conversation towards gun control as opposed to rhetoric as the cause for the increase in political violence.

"This isn't just about what happened to Charlie Kirk. At the same time his tragic killing was happening, three kids were getting shot in school, and that was one or two weeks after another couple of kids were getting shot, in church, at mass, at a Catholic school," Ocasio-Cortez said. 

But GOP firebrand Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., did not mince words about those who continue to foment hatred for conservatives with inflammatory rhetoric.

"We need to shame these people out of polite society, shame them out of existence. They need to be fired from their jobs. They are putting lives in danger," Mace said. "They are denying that they're celebrating the political assassination and murder of Charlie Kirk, but they're liars. They're lying through their teeth."

Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have called on others to "turn down the heat" in the wake of Kirk's assassination.

Sat, 20 Sep 2025 09:08:43 -0400

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As security preparations intensify for Charlie Kirk’s memorial service in Arizona, a former NYPD detective and security consultant warns mourners to remain alert.

"Pull your face out of your phone, put it in your pocket. Pay attention," Pat Brosnan urged. 

The memorial, set for this weekend at State Farm Stadium, is expected to draw an enormous crowd. Officials estimate that more than 100,000 people may gather in and around the venue, including attendees inside the 63,000-seat stadium and overflow areas outside.

"From the moment you arrive… have your eyes wide open… who's to your right, who's to your left, who's behind you? What are they doing?" Brosnan told Fox News Digital. "Eyes in the backs and the sides of your head."

According to a law enforcement bulletin obtained by ABC News, authorities are "tracking several threats of unknown credibility."

"Violent extremists and unaffiliated lone offenders may view the memorial service or related events as attractive attack targets due to the attendance of these individuals, other senior U.S. government officials, state and local government officials, and political activists and due to major international media attention," the memo reportedly says.

The Department of Homeland Security has designated Kirk’s memorial service a Level 1 Special Event, the highest possible rating, matching Super Bowl-level security planning. 

Sat, 20 Sep 2025 08:50:35 -0400

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CNN commentator Van Jones revealed that Charlie Kirk invited him to come onto his show the day before he was assassinated at Utah Valley University. 

The outreach came as both Jones and Kirk gave differing opinions in reaction to the killing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, who was fatally stabbed in the neck on a light rail train in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Aug. 22. The suspect was identified as Decarlos Brown.

“Hey, Van, I mean it, I’d love to have you on my show to have a respectful conversation about crime and race. I would be a gentleman as I know you would be as well. We can disagree about the issues agreeably,” Jones said Kirk wrote to him in a private message on X. 

Jones said before he could respond, Kirk was assassinated. 

Sat, 20 Sep 2025 08:10:52 -0400

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Thousands are showing up coast to coast for memorials and vigils honoring the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk. 

An estimated 1,500 to 2,000 people attended a candlelight vigil on Thursday at Soldiers Field in Rochester, New York, according to the Rochester Post Bulletin. 

“We’re here to honor Charlie Kirk and all victims taken by cowardly acts of violence, regardless of who they are, what they believe and what they stand for,” Brad Trahan, a Rochester resident and organizer of the event, told the newspaper. “We come together to dedicate ourselves to peace. Charlie’s life symbolized dialogue, peace, faith and that goodwill will always supersede evil.” 

The day before, around 200 people gathered for an event on the campus of California State University, Fresno, to pay tribute to Kirk, KFSN reported. 

Images also captured mourners attending vigils in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, and Newark, Delaware, among other events. 

Sat, 20 Sep 2025 07:54:20 -0400

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An Arizona-based chapter of the progressive group Indivisible is asking its members to stay home Sunday when Charlie Kirk’s memorial service takes place in Glendale. 

“We believe strongly in the right to protest and speak out, but we also know there are moments where restraint protects both our community and our democracy,” Brent Peak, co-chair of Northwest Valley Indivisible, said in a statement. “This is one of those moments.” 

“We urge our members and the broader community to choose safety and solidarity over confrontation at this event,” Peak added. “Our commitment to democracy and free speech remains strong, but we will not allow ourselves to be used as props in someone else’s attempt to stir violence.” 

On its website, Indivisible describes itself as a “movement of thousands of group leaders and more than a million members taking regular, iterative, and increasingly complex actions to resist the GOPs agenda, elect local champions, and fight for progressive policies.” 

Sat, 20 Sep 2025 07:08:18 -0400

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Conservative leaders and commentators are reflecting on the life, legacy, and enduring impact of Charlie Kirk, remembering how the Turning Point USA founder shaped a generation of young conservatives and left a lasting mark on the movement.

Turning Point USA is an organization started by Kirk in 2012 with the mission to "identify, educate, train, and organize students to promote the principles of fiscal responsibility, free markets, and limited government," according to the group's website. 

Fox News Digital spoke with conservative voices Rob Smith, Arynne Wexler, Lily Kate and Amir Odom about the impact of Kirk on their lives and on America. 

"I owe kind of basically my entire career in the conservative movement and conservative media to Charlie Kirk," said Smith, a political commentator.  

Sat, 20 Sep 2025 07:45:48 -0400

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"Real Time" host Bill Maher expressed empathy for fellow late-night host Jimmy Kimmel as a former ABC star who also landed himself in hot water by making questionable remarks in the wake of a tragedy.

"It was 24 years to the day that I made comments on ABC that got me canceled from that network, and Jimmy Kimmel took my slot," Maher said during his opening monologue, adding "Oh yes, I got canceled before cancel even had a culture."

Before his decades-long stint at HBO, Maher previously hosted "Politically Incorrect" on ABC, which the network canceled in 2002 after Maher faced backlash for arguing that the 9/11 hijackers weren't "cowardly" just days after the 2001 terrorist attacks. 

"ABC, they are steady. ABC stands for ‘Always Be Caving," Maher later called out his ex-employer. "So Jimmy, pal, I am with you. I support you. And on the bright side, you don't have to pretend anymore that you like Disneyland."

Kimmel's show "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" was taken off the air on Wednesday following comments he made in his Monday monologue about Charlie Kirk and his alleged assassin.

Sat, 20 Sep 2025 06:32:21 -0400

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Erika Kirk honored late husband Charlie Kirk Friday by posting a heartwarming video of him teaching their daughter some of the basics of physics.

In the video, which had already garnered more than 1.3 million likes by Friday afternoon, the conservative activist sits at a table with their young daughter, playfully explaining Isaac Newton’s three laws of motion using her sippy cup and a pair of sunglasses.

"My favorite memories will forever be us raising our babies together. I love you [Charlie Kirk]," Erica Kirk captioned the video on Instagram. "Tell Sir Isaac Newton that GG is ready for her quiz."

The video shows the Turning Point USA founder walking through Newton's principles that an object at rest stays at rest, every action has an equal and opposite reaction and that force equals mass times acceleration.

"Okay, see that's the issue is you keep on thinking when you drop [your sippy cup], it comes back up, but it doesn't, okay?" Charlie Kirk jokingly explains to his young daughter as she appears to be preparing to drop her cup.

Sat, 20 Sep 2025 06:31:06 -0400

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Police are expecting 100,000 people to attend Charlie Kirk’s memorial service at State Farm Stadium and an overflow arena in Glendale, Ariz., on Sunday, Sept. 21, according to media reports. 

State Farm Stadium has fixed seating for 63,400 and can expand to over 73,000 for larger events, according to the venue. 

“This event is first come, first served based on stadium capacity. Indoor overflow will be available next door at the Desert Diamond Arena,” a website for the memorial said.  

 “Please be advised that enhanced security measures are in place, which may result in longer wait times than usual. We appreciate your patience and understanding,” it added. 

Glendale police spokesman Jose Santiago told WJZZ, “we are confident that we are doing everything possible to try and ensure that this is as safe an event as possible.” 

The Department of Homeland Security also designated the memorial service as a Special Event Assessment Rating Level 1, "reserved for events of the highest national significance" and the same severity as the Super Bowl. 

Fox News Digital’s Alex Nitzberg and Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.